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This week was a big one for those advocating against a tampon tax. 。

First, on Thursday, California took the next step in the legislative push to end the state's tax on feminine hygiene products. The state senate backed legislation in a 38-0 vote that would repeal the state's sales tax on tampons and all other feminine hygiene products. 。

Then, on Friday, the Republican governor of Illinois signed a law repealing the tampon tax in that state entirely.。

The change will take effect in Illinois Jan. 1, 2017. 。

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In California, the bill is headed back to the state assembly, which has to approve changes made in the senate. The proposal was already approved there, so it's looking like California will join Illinois and the few other states that no longer impose these taxes.。

Most U.S. states do tax tampons since they aren't considered a "necessity," like food or medicine, exempt from sales tax. Only a few states including Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New Jersey don't tax feminine hygiene products. New York abolished its tampon tax in July. 。

Canada officially stopped charging its tampon tax July 1. Activists in Spain, the UK and other countries have pushed governments to stop imposing an effectively gender-based tax on an essential good. 。

In California, the sales tax applied to tampons is 7.5 percent. That leads to California women paying more than $20 million every year in taxes on basic sanitary products. 。

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